India Travel Department

Adventure Holiday in India with TDactive – part 1

“Nothing can possibly prepare you for the journey ahead. India will impress, bewilder, fascinate, depress, thrill, frustrate, inspire and amaze you.” These are words provided by TDactive before we left on our Indian adventure recently and never could so many verbs have more accurately described what we experienced! We have used Travel Department on many
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Incredible Wedding was Highlight of 2018

We may be in 2019 but looking back to last year, there was really only one outstanding highlight from our perspective. It is nearly six months since Kirstin and Mark’s wonderful wedding at Ballymagarvey Village in County Meath and we have had great fun recently looking through the photos and the video, seeing all the
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Gift Guide for Christmas or Anytime

  Buying the right gift can be a nightmare for some people. If the man in your life needs some help, get him to read this. BEAUTY I have been very privileged to try many different beauty treatments and products this year. I only wrote about those that suited my skin or improved it in
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My ‘Style Not Age’ friends are Keen as Mustard.

Mustard is one of those colours that you either love or hate and those friends whom I asked are mostly haters. As for me, I am not even sure why I chose it, as mustard is not a colour that I find particularly easy to wear. However, I do enjoy a challenge. Our last theme
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Sleeping like a Baby on a Leesa Mattress

In collaboration with Leesa Mattresses. I have written before about how to ensure you get a good night’s sleep, but if you have not got a comfortable mattress, then nothing else matters. GG and I like to cuddle in bed and unless it is very hot, like this past summer, we tend to sleep close,
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Come and Binge on My Top 3 Netflix Series

Currently in bed with a horrific sinus infection, I am going to binge watch some Netflix series, as soon as I am well enough, so if you have any recommendations, I would be delighted to hear them. Meanwhile, here are three that I have really enjoyed, so I hope you enjoy them too. ‘The Sinner’ This
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5 Winter Destinations for Snowtime Fun

Winter is the perfect time of year for a little getaway. With the cold season well and truly settling in, all the Christmas festivities and the abundance of decorations to admire and all that food to enjoy, it’s always a busy and exciting time of year. In this winter travel guide, you’ll discover some of
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‘The Secret Lives of Adults’ by Allison Keating – Review

‘The Secret Lives of Adults’ by Allison Keating is an absolute necessity in every house, whether you are single, in a relationship, or have a family. I have read a few self-help books, which have bored me and definitely not helped me. I am not sure whether the author Allison Keating would call this a
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Travel broadens the Mind so our Bucket List keeps Growing

“Travel broadens the mind and widens horizons”, according to the late US hiker and itinerant traveller Christopher McCandless Do you have a list of places you would like to travel to before you kick the bucket? Yes, a bucket list! GG and I do and have divided it into ‘Nearer Home’ and ‘Far Flung’. We
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Memory Hacks to Help you Study Smarter, not Harder

I used many of these memory hacks when I was a teacher.  And I wrote a post on MEMORY a while ago. But here Jennifer Dennis who has done a lot of research on this very topic, puts them all together. Share with anyone you know who is the mother, grandmother, auntie of a student.
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Ambulance Emergency

Call an Ambulance when there is Loss of Consciousness

A week ago, last Sunday evening, I dialled 999 in a panic looking for an ambulance. (I was watching television when I heard a thud as Graham hit the ground) Luckily, the person at the other end of the phone was very calm and talked me through what to do as he was regaining consciousness:
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Go ahead, Break every Fashion Rule – There are no Rules

Some of my friends from The Midlife Revolution and I have got together and decided that we have had it with RULES… about what you CAN and you CANNOT wear when you reach a certain age. Who made these so-called RULES anyway? THE FASHION POLICE? Who are you? We will wear what we damn well
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The shirt a wardrobe staple -‘Style not Age’ challenge

Jacqui’s shirt challenge ‘The Shirt a Wardrobe Staple’ got me counting the number of shirts in my wardrobe. Dozens, literally dozens.  My ‘go to’ daily wear is skinny jeans and a shirt, usually worn outside and covering the bum. This month is a little different as Jacynth from The Bias Cut kindly gifted us each
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Showcasing Robin LaMonte from ‘Hello I’m 50ish’

Robin LaMonte from Atlanta Georgia and I connected through the original Fierce 50 and I was drawn to her very early on. You see, we have a similar philosophy on life. ‘LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE NOW’ says Robin and I agree; life is not a dress rehearsal. We have an interest in fashion and both
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Homemade Eco Solutions for Cleaning your Home

 I have a Guest Blogger this week, Alex Farley, who shares with us Eco solutions for cleaning. Commercial cleaning products are full of toxic and harmful substances aimed at making the household chores easier. Not only can the price of these chemical products be quite expensive but they can be very detrimental to your health.
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How to find the right Mother-of-the-Bride Dress

Mother-of-the-bride dress hunting is much more difficult than I imagined it could be.  In 10 weeks’ time, my daughter, Logan’s mum, will be getting married. The excitement is mounting, the venue is booked, Kirsty has her dress, Courtney, the only bridesmaid has hers and I still do not have mine, though I have contenders. I
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Newbridge Farm Donabate is Top Attraction

We hadn’t visited Newbridge Farm, part of Newbridge Demesne near Donabate, Co Dublin, since our two girls were little and here we were back to a new and improved farm with our 20-month old grandson, Logan.  Monday is Logan day and we had an idea that we would go to the farm if the weather
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‘Style not Age’ Rainbow Challenge

This month’s ‘Style Not Age’ challenge, where we are to be inspired by the colours of the rainbow, was set by Emma  from stylesplash. There is an often-used mnemonic to help you remember the colours of the rainbow Roy G Biv – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet (just in case you don’t know)
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Visit to The Guinness Brewery and Storehouse

Thanks to Guinness, Ireland’s winning of Rugby’s Grand Slam in England on St Patrick’s Day was even more special than my Graham could possibly have imagined. In his latest ‘Beside the Hilda’ guest blog post, GG tells of an unusual way to celebrate Ireland’s national saint’s day. A couple of weeks earlier, I had entered
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5 Irish Women share what it means to be Fierce in Midlife

A year ago, I was one of fifty over-50 bloggers (and the only Irish one) to launch The Fierce 50 Movement worldwide. This has now evolved into Forever Fierce: The Midlife Revolution, embracing all women at that empowering stage of their lives and has now grown to almost 5,000 members around the globe. I’m delighted that
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An angry, fierce and heartbroken Jennifer Halliday speaks out

 Jennifer Halliday is fierce. Jennifer is angry. Last week, I shared Marie Carberry’s story HERE; this week, you can read how the disease Alzheimer’s impacts family members, but Jennifer is angry about more than that. I dare you not to be moved by what she has to say and if you feel strongly about it,
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World Cancer Day Guest Blogger Marie – Life is for Living.

On World Cancer Day, it is my pleasure to introduce guest blogger, Marie Carberry, 56, married and mum of two, worked in the bank for years and then became a freelance journalist. Marie is one fierce woman with a wicked sense of humour! Marie has cancer, but that does not stop her and I know
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Kilronan Castle is the Perfect midweek Getaway

Kilronan Castle stood proud as we drove up the long drive and first impressions did not disappoint. Lovingly restored by the Hanly Group to its 18th century splendour (it was a total ruin until 2004 when restoration commenced), it offers an ideal blend of old-world elegance and new-world luxury. Gorgeous Graham and I wanted to
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2017 Best of Rants and Random Thoughts

Some of my most popular posts last year were in the category ‘Rants and Random Thoughts’! Many of you sympathised with me when I wrote about how to stay married for 35 years without killing your husband. I told you what worked for us (well, for me) and I was delighted with the response. You
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